Andersen, who spoke prior to Spoelstra and declined to say whether he would play, said he is fully healthy and eager to play.

“I’ve dealt with it by working out and continuing to do the normal routine I would do as if I was playing, because you never know when there’s any kind of injury or any different kind of lineup he might go with,” Andersen said. “Anyone one of us can be in that situation, so it’s a matter of being professional and continuing to do what I need to do to keep myself ready for when my name is called. I can’t let something deter me mentally and keep me out of focus on what my main objective is: Be ready.

“I’ve spent however many years in the league — I don’t even know — and it’s a matter of sticking with my same routine. I come and bang my weights and get my shots up and I try to use my leadership with my actions. I’m not too vocal, but whenever I do see something, I’ll say something. Just a matter of being an asset to my teammates.”

One of the issues that kept Andersen out recently was a bout with food poisoning. He declined to elaborate on that issue other than saying his fine now.

Spoelstra said Andersen knew reasonably far in advance that he was unlikely to play in the first three games. He is not injured or on a maintenance program for a specific ailment, but the Heat do intend to manage the number of games he plays this season.

“We try to make as much of a schedule as we can, but that’ll be in light pencil,” Spoelstra said. “Things change.”

Over the past two seasons (not counting playoffs), Andersen played in 132 of Miami’s 164 games — he started 20 last year — and averaged 19.2 minutes. He is 37 years old and this is his 14th season.

The fact that Spoelstra has been so forthright with him has made this arrange much more tolerable for Andersen.

“Yeah, the communication has been good,” he said. “It hasn’t blindsided me at all. That makes it a lot easier for any player in this situation when the communication is there and everybody’s on the same page. It makes it easier to keep the mental stability and focus on it.”